Aiens vs Predator: Final Hunt preview
by Dawley
Summary: A squad of USCM Marines are dispatched to the planet LV-786 to investigate a distress signal. An easy mission, in-and-out... then again, a war between two species with the marines caught in the middle wasn't part of the briefing. preview


**Author's Note (A/N): **Hello there, fellow FanFiction users!

In case you can't tell, this is a rewrite of an old story of mine called _AvP: Final Hunt_. There's a bit of a story behind it, but suffice to say that this is the third - and I hope final - version of the story. Some people who have been watching my stories for a while might remember the original _Final Hunt_, posted waaay back in '05, or the second version, which was posted up in early 2006 and stopped when the planning of the story fell through and a little story called "_Drone_" popped into my head.

Enough with the waffle now. I hope that you enjoy the newest (and final, **_final_**) version of the story. And pleeease review it and tell me what you think.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own alien or Predator. They are the property of 20th Century Fox. I do, however, own the original characters and settings, and you will need my permission to use them if you wish to.

**Introduction**

**From:  
**_**Interstellar: A History of Planetary Colonisation**_**,  
****Cassie Newark, I&T Publishing, 2337**

"CHAPTER 14: Encounters, Relics and Signs

"...as was to be expected, reports of strange creatures and alien abductions began to flow in as the first colonies – particularly those on the moons of Jupiter – were settled and made into permanent establishments. These 'incidents' of alien encounters ranged from the plausible and explainable, in which strange lights and metallic objects were glimpsed in the sky, to the downright ludicrous, such as claims of having sexual escapades with humanoids from the sky.  
Despite these claims, though, the very _real_ possibility of actual life remained possible. During the days of the first extra-solar colonies, it was confirmed that there _were_ in fact other life forms existing outside of our own solar system..." (pg. 507-508)

"...however, the question of whether there are civilisations deep in space - similar to ours, with vast technology - remains unanswered.  
This issue has raised some interesting questions, especially recently in relation to the Weyland-Yutani Corporation and its scientific research division. The division has regularly reported that they have discovered 'locations of interest' which, it is theorised, could be objects – or even _cities_ – of alien origin. Although the details of the discoveries have not been released as of the publication of this book, scientists who have worked on the locations have come forward with statements about what they have found. These statements have a pattern of including tool-like instruments, rocks which appear to have been fashioned into building blocks, and large walls with glyph-like symbols stencilled all over which have been found. Conspiracy theories are abounds, the most popular stating that populated worlds such as LV-786 and Callisto II have been used for experiments regarding alien technology as far back as the 22nd century!  
One can only imagine what the implications would be if these 'locations of interest' turn out to _really_ be of extraterrestrial origin..." (pg. 554)

**From:  
**_**Tales from the New Frontier  
**_**Mitchell Vaughn & Robert Tappart, Sharpe House Inc, 2317**

"...the colonisation of LV-145 also proved to be difficult, dangerous and – with a disturbing regularity – lethal to the various workers and inhabitants.  
At the time of the colony's establishment in 2146, LV-145 was one of the farthest colonies from the solar system, and was thus isolated to an extreme. When the first colonists and technicians arrived to begin settlement, the Weyland-Yutani corporation had to ship out three squads of marines, in total, this was almost double the amount of colonists, to keep the peace in case of any uprisings. This later proved to be a wise move. During the first three years of the colony's existence, there were two mutinies against the main leadership council which required intervention by the marines. Bearing superior arms and equipment, the marines were able to crush the rebellions before they could gain momentum.

_Corporal Veronica Weaver, USCM, on her experiences in the early colonies:  
_'_The first years of colonisation were definitely tough. I was assigned to three colonies during those first few years, and in every one of them was an underground group who thought they could get away with killing or beating up the main councillor and then assuming control. It was scary, really, because they'd look at you with a hatred in their eyes, a kind of "You're gonna be dead soon" look. And the worst part was that all the colonists were suspicious of the marines after the Joval incident, so you couldn't really tell who was out to get you.'_

Despite the hostility and unease in the colony for the first few years, advances in deep spaceflight and transportation from 2153 to 2168 led to supplies and other people being taken to LV-145, and with it full colonisation and atmosphere conversion could begin. It could not have come at a better time; by the time the shipping lanes had opened up to the outer worlds, almost fifty of the three hundred colonists on LV-145 had perished in a number of accidents. Several had fallen from the atmosphere processor during maintenance; several more were crushed by faulty equipment; a marine accidentally shot himself in the lungs during target practice; and one worker was even decapitated by a towing vehicle when he tried to repair it whilst on a geological survey.  
Even after the opening of the lanes, accidents were common. On the planet LV-64, during a maintenance check by workers on the cooling systems of that planet's atmosphere processor, emergency venting systems were activated to cool the main reactor. Ten of the workers were killed by a blast of superheated steam; three were so badly scalded that their skin melted and had to be identified by their DNA and dental records. Even worse, an explosion in the colony's armament magazine killed twenty marines stationed there and almost as many colonists as well as injuring over seventy..." (pg. 234-236)

"...one of the most unsettling events in the early years of LV-145 – and indeed the whole of the outer colonies – occurred on the 5th of June, 2166, in an event which became known as the 'Merrick Incident'. On that day, one of the four marine squads stationed at the colony was scheduled to undergo training exercises in the Merrick Flats, a large mountainous plateau roughly twenty miles north of the main colony. After three days, which involved weapons training and target practice, the group split into two groups of six for a wargame simulation. The remaining five of the squad, the commanding officers, were assigned to watch over the simulation.  
On the second day of the simulation, Group B had not been heard from for over sixteen hours, and the officers in charge decided to call the simulation off and search for the soldiers. After only an hour of searching, Group B was located.

_Sergeant Michael Trelawney, USCM, on what had happened to Group B:  
_'_It was horrific. The guys had set up a small camp in between a rock outcropping and a steep cliff face; it would have given them a tactical advantage over the other group. But something bad had happened. Really bad. They'd all been killed. One of them was splayed out on a radio pack that had been shot to shit; he was riddled with bullet holes and what looked like knife wounds. Two of them had been strung up on top of the outcropping, and they were missing their skin... it appeared like they'd been gutted and then dragged up there and strung up like deer... we found their skins a week later under a pile of boulders, not far from the site.'_

The incident shocked the population of LV-145 and those of neighbouring colonies. An investigation was launched into the deaths of the marines, as well as the whereabouts of two who were never located. In the end it was decided that they had interfered with illegal operations and had been killed for it; at the same time groups like the 'Fortunate Seven' and 'Iron Bears' had sprung up and were extorting millions of dollars and credits from large companies.  
The Merrick Incident proved to be the last violent incident in the outer colonies for several years, however. It has never been explained in a satisfactory way as to what caused a group of marines to be butchered so violently and without any distress call being sent out.  
Shortly after the Merrick Incident, the marine strength was improved drastically and a new atmosphere processor began construction; blessedly, without any serious injury or loss of life during its construction..." (pg. 257-260)

"...it is also theorised that organised crime syndicates, such as the now-defunct Iron Bears, may have been responsible for the mass-deaths in the early years of colonisation. A prime example is the Merrick Incident; the blame for the deaths of the six marines are generally accepted as going towards the Iron Bears, due to the coincidences of violent deaths – usually involving the decapitation or disappearance of victims – which are associated with their activity..." (pg. 261)

**From:  
**_**Colonial Herald: Daily News  
**_**Reported by Eddie Corcoran, dated 03/07/41**

"July 7th, 2341

RESEARCHERS MISSING ON LV-783

A group of researchers on the planet LV-783 have been reported missing, according to a report by Major Joseph Blaine, but are believed to still be alive.

The group, led by noted geologist Dennis King, set out on the 2nd of July to investigate a series of earth tremors which had shaken the colony there for several days in a row. Going out with King were four other geologists and several workers. After several days of contact, nothing was heard of them on the 5th and they were listed as being 'missing, presumed alive' the next day.

Major Joseph Blaine, head of security on LV-783, was not worried when questioned by this reporter and others.

'At this moment in time I cannot comment on what may have happened to Mr. King or any of his group,' Major Blaine said. 'At this stage we believe that he and the group are experiencing a problem from a malfunctioning or broken radio. I have already organised a search party to investigate the area where he and the team were headed, and I have full confidence that they are fine.'

The mayor of the colony, George Prescott, also commented on King's investigation. 'I'm pretty confident that he's alive,' he commented on the 6th. 'King has survival training and we have several emergency shelters scattered over the area. We had several installed along the route he was taking because of the geological activity that occurs in the area. It's uncommon for a tremor to hit, but they can be very powerful.'

Dennis King is a noted geologist, particularly for his work in the field of inter-planetary tectonics..." (pg. 3)

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**A/N: **I know that I shouldn't have to ask, but reviews and/or crits are highly welcomed. :) Thanks


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